ZKWeek 2014
by Chimochi
Summary: A whole week of Zutara week prompts. Melancholy, Jubilant, Motorcycle, Cobalt Blue, Unrequited, Socks, Slow Dancing ZUTARA
1. Motorcycle

**Motorcycle- Day 3**

_(noun); a two-wheeled vehicle that is powered by a motor and has no pedals._

* * *

Katara's P.O.V.

Ember Island. Zuko had always invited the gang to Ember Island every summer after the war. Between meetings and rebuilding the world there was always someone who couldn't go. Toph had her earth benders at her metal bending academy. While Sokka become councilman of Republic City, while Aang and Zuko built it. Then there was me who was slowing rebuilding the Southern and Northern Water Tribes. It was pure luck that in past 5 years the gang would finally see each other again; nothing excited me more.

We did all the stereotype vacation things friends would normally converse in. We started at the beach and worked our way into town. One night Sokka came back from town with Suki and rolled out an Ember Island Players poster.

"Guys you won't believe what Suki and I found." Of course out of all the plays the Ember Island Players rehearsed was 'The Boy in the Iceberg'.  
We all rolled our eyes and sighed but not as much as Aang himself. "Oh come on guys! It's been years since the last time we saw it. Maybe they changed the story since we beat 'loser lord'."

Somehow they managed to butcher the play even more than the last time.

Zuko spilt from us once the play was over. Once back at the house the rest of us all settled in re-telling stories of our adventures. Aang so irritated about the play he vented to Sokka about how he wasn't a woman. Sokka thought of the glorious plan to talking Zuko into banning the production of ever playing again.

"Zuko is Firelord now. He could save a lot of people from seeing that catastrophe."

With a pent-up of nostalgic emotions I leave the house to get a breath of fresh air. Inside I hear Sokka re-telling the story when he insisted he had a wart on his throatal flap when Aang gave us the frozen frogs. I smiled while I listened to everyone laugh inside. Still smiling I look down the road expecting to see Zuko walking back. When I didn't see him I walked down the road a little hoping to hide and scare him for being so late. Right as I was about to hide a light appeared at the end of the street approaching quickly along with the sound of a low rumble from a motor. The light blinded me and I screamed. The light stopped feet in front of me. It was the laugh of Zuko that brought me back.

"Look what I found." Zuko pulled up beside me hitting the gas. He sat forward and tapped his hand on the seat.

"A motorbike?"

"Motorcycle," He corrected "hop on."

"Are you nuts? These are dangerous and not to mention you almost ran me over!" I eyed him suspiciously. From what I knew Zuko never had a motorcycle. "Where did you get one?"

"Katara, it's a motorcycle. A brand new model straight out of the factory," Somehow I didn't doubt that. "I bet the water tribes don't even have motorcycles yet."

"No they don't."

"Who can say they rode a motorcycle with the Fire Lord? Nobody." Zuko tapped the gas again raising his eyebrows. "I bet you're just scared." I immediately closed the distance between the motorcycle and stepped on.

"If you think I'm scared you're mistaken." I lied, I was. "Just to let you know, Sokka will kill both of us if he finds out I rode one of these."

"I never planned on letting him know."

"Where are we going?" Zuko turned his head with a crazy look in his eye. I was regretting my decision. This time when he hit the gas the motorcycle moved ahead. I inhaled out of surprise as he bolted forward. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his waist. I dug my knees into his calves and buried my face behind his back.

"How fast are you going?"

"A little over." So of course he sped up.

We approached town and Zuko ran through the streets. Each time we turned a corner I flinched expecting to crash. We approached another turn and prayed that it would be the last corner. Apparently I should have prayed for no cabbage merchants with a cart full of cabbages to be crossing the street at that very moment.

Losing control, Zuko drove right into the cabbage cart sending pieces of cabbage everywhere.

"My cabbages!"

I particularly landed on Zuko with a soft landing. Unlike me, Zuko had landed on pieces of cabbage.

"errp"

"What?"

"Gert erp." Zuko lifted his head from underneath the pile of destroyed cabbages. With a growing black-eyed he spat out a mouthful of cabbage. "Get up, you're on me!"

"MY CABBAGES!"

"I'm so-" I started.

"Every place I go is worse than the last!" In defeat the man dropped to his knees collecting his plant using the cabbage leaves as tissues. He silently grumbled to himself making me question his sanity. "Ba Sing Se...Omashu… Ember Island…." Then as if nothing could get any worse police came running toward us.

"Stop right there!"

"Zuko it's the police!" I picked Zuko up from the arm. In our attempt at escaping he slid on a head of cabbage. "I have the half of mind of leaving you, _the Firelord_, here to explain yourself if you don't get a move on!" Zuko snapped into reality. We kept running until we lost the police down the road where I first found Zuko.

"I can't believe I totaled the motorcycle."

"Pff, I can't believe I got _on_ the motorcycle. Now I can tell all the Water Tribe how great the Firelord can ride a motorcycle." I passed as facetiously. "Actually you're right. Nobody should ever say they rode a motorcycle with the Firelord."

Zuko slowed his pace always keeping two steps behind me. "You're impossible."

Once we walked in the house everyone stopped laughing. Tension filled the room so fast it was like we were the butt of a bad joke. I was waiting for the crickets to start chirping and tumble weeds to cross the room. It was Aang who finally broke the awkwardness.

"Uh, I'm not sure I want to ask."

"I'm not sure if I want to explain." I said.

"Was there a sale on cabbages? I didn't know Zuko like cabbages." Sokka pointed out the pieces of cabbage in Zuko's hair.

Zuko pouted his lip out. "I don't." Zuko crossed the room shaking the cabbage out of his hair. Momo followed him stuffing his mouth with fallen cabbage. Zuko exited the room. It was silent all for about five seconds when I heard a door slam.

Unable to take the confused stares from Aang, Toph, Suki, and Sokka I slowly shuffled down the hall. "I'll be riiight back." Once out of sight I ran toward Zuko's door; I silently knocked. No answer. Uninterested in being ignored I open the door stepping inside. Zuko was lying on his bed with Momo.

"You need to work on not sulking." Zuko put on the biggest frown he could. "I did have fun. Uh, thanks for the ride…" I replayed the events of the cabbage cart. I covered my mouth trying to cover up my chortling. "cabbage boy." Zuko scowled but underneath he hid a light blush. He through his pillow at me making me burst into laughter.

"Don't call me that!" The corners of his scowl lifted up slightly. I jumped on end of his bed.

"What, you didn't have fun too, cabbage boy?" I reached over to Zuko lifting his scowl up into a ridiculous smile with my hands. This time he joined in on my laughter.

"Alright, I had fun too, cabbage girl."

This definitely was a story worth telling next Ember Island visit.


	2. Socks

** Socks- Day 6**

_(noun); a garment for a foot or lower part of the leg, typically knitted from wool, cotton, or nylon_

* * *

Katara considered herself a laid back person well considering the war. Safe at the Southern Air Temple she was laid back as she could be. Katara also considered herself as the mother of the group. She made the dinner, cooked the food, shopped for food, trained Aang, settled disputes between the younger children, and trained herself. It kept her busy.

Four weeks had passed by since the day of black sun. The gang had gained four other members, including Zuko. It was in those four weeks that would lead to the moment Katara would snap. Katara didn't mind doing laundry but socks and underwear were becoming a growing problem. Over the years Katara had built immunity over Sokka's under garments, but between the six other growing, sweating boys she was becoming impatient. She snapped the day when she went to gather everyone's clothes for laundry day. Katara was irritable that day and everyone knew an irritable Katara was a Katara not to be messed with. When her last stop was Sokka's room he didn't seem to get the memo.

"It's laundry day. Where's your stuff?"

"Here" Sokka sloppy handed his small pile of clothes to his sister. If that wasn't enough to make someone already irritable snap it was what Sokka did next.

"Oh could you wash these too?" Sokka sat down on his bed and pulled off his freshly stinking socks off his feet. He threw them over to his pile in his sister's arm but misjudged his throw. The socks landed directly on Katara's face. Normally Sokka would've laugh if it weren't for the rage his sister went into. Katara threw the mixed pile of smelly socks and underwear at Sokka with all her might.

Furious with the lack of appreciation, Katara stormed out into the temple square. Of course, Zuko was spotted sitting by the water fountain with his own pile of clothes. Uncaring what Zuko wanted Katara was so fuming she called the water over to Zuko hosing him with a jet of water. She stomped into her room until Toph called her to dinner. She was curious about who made dinner. It sure wasn't her, mother to all.  
Katara grabbed a bowl of hot soup filled with an assortment of nuts. She furrowed her eyebrows and almost choked on what she thought was a rock. Katara knew exactly who made it.

"Sokka you can't eat rocks!"

"Actually I made it." Katara's attention turned over to Zuko. His face mirrored Katara's. "I'm not sure why I made you so angry enough to hose me but I thought I could make up my 'sin'."

"Yeah you're angry for no reason." Sokka added.

"No reason? I wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT; especially yours!" Katara pointed toward Zuko.

"Mine?" Zuko wide-eyed at her accusation placed his hand on his chest in defense.

"From now on everyone washes their own damn socks and underwear!" Dinner was quiet and Katara thought it was the last of that. Until...

Katara went back to her routine the next day. Less irritable than yesterday she continued the laundry where it left off. She didn't find a single undergarment until she got to the bottom; one pair of red socks. One pair of Zuko socks. Instead of blasting off she decided that for every pair of socks she found she would take one away.

Three days later she found another pair of red socks in the collected laundry. Then with great fame another pair appeared the next week, then another. It was Zuko, Katara was sure of it. She was sure he thought this was a joke. Surely the joke was on him as his sock pile dwindled to miss matched socks without their twin.

"Katara," Zuko asked her one day. "do you know where my socks are going?"

"Whatever do you mean? I haven't washed any socks since a week and a half ago." Soon Katara found herself counting her socks. Her numbers dwindled to a mere three pair of miss matched socks. If it was war Zuko wanted, war he was going to get.

One day Zuko marched into dinner displeased, "Who's taking my underwear?"

"Maybe you misplaced it. Or they got up and ran away. I heard Aang said there's a spirit who likes to steal socks and underwear." The very same night Katara's drawer was missing underwear. Katara stormed into the temple square at the same time as Zuko; both barefoot.

"ZUKO, where are my socks!"

"Oh! Maybe you misplaced it. Or they got up and ran away. I heard a rumor there's a spirit who likes that stuff!"

"Very funny, I know it's you because since you started missing socks mine have gone missing as well! Sock stealer!"

"Like I'd do that! I don't enjoy going commando! Underwear pervert!" Again Katara summoned the water toward her making tentacle arms. Zuko flared his hands full of fire. They ran toward each other their elements colliding.

"You're so infuriating!"

"You're so controlling!" Both said syncing their screams. They yelled profanities and fought furiously, water against fire. Katara and Zuko were sure they were fed up with each other; between the training, chores, and duties as team Avatar it was each other's fighting that kept them both sane. Fighting each other assured them that they were still alive.

As they vented over socks the joke was on both of Katara and Zuko. For a certain blind girl was laughing away at a stolen pile stacked with the missing garments.


	3. Melancholy

**Melancholy- Day 1**

_(noun); a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause._

* * *

Zuko sat in the garden pavilion while the summer sun beamed down. Some would say that it was the hottest day of the year. Others would say it was the most unproductive day. The blazing day that shut down grocery carts in town because owners couldn't stand the unbearable heat. Everyone could escape the sun but couldn't escape the heat. Zuko experienced this first hand as he opened all the palace windows hoping to circulate the air. It did nothing but make him feel like he was slowing cooking in a huge oven.

Aggravated, Zuko ordered a bowl of cold melon escaping into the garden pavilion. Unaware of what type of melon he was given Zuko bit into it relishing the relief of heat and taste of something more. Memories of the war flashed before him. It immediately made him feel sickly; trying to wash out the flashback Zuko bit more into the pastel colored melon. It occurred to Zuko that it was cantaloupe. A melon he wasn't to found of, but it didn't bother him.

It reminded him of Katara.

Katara was the one who liked the sweet musky taste of cantaloupe. Katara used to bring freshly cut cantaloupe to Aang and him after Firebending practice. It was Katara who used to bring cantaloupe to him after a long day of being Fire Lord. It still was Katara who brought him cantaloupe even when she became insupportably sick.

He picked at the juicy melon poking the flesh.

Zuko missed receiving melon from Katara wishing she were here on this unbearable day. Yet he remembered not even once did he ever mention he hated cantaloupe.

Zuko continued to pick through the melon till it was warm as the air around him. Seeds and bits of broken melon was spread underneath his feet.

"Papa?" A voiced call. "Papa!"

Zuko continued to stare at the faded pink color of the cantaloupe as he heard the sound of little feet pitter-pattering through the dry grass. Feet appeared in his view as the small voice of a six-year-old girl asked,

"Papa, what's wrong? You aren't going to eat your melon?"

I don't quite like it, Kya. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

"But it's sweet. How can it be bitter, papa?"

"It's kind of like melancholy."


End file.
